The race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the NFC North division title all comes down to Sunday Night Football when the Detroit Lions (14-2) host the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) at Ford Field. The winner of Sunday's game will get the coveted first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, while the loser will travel for Wild Card Weekend.
Detroit is 2-0 on Sunday Night Football this season (Rams & Texans) and beat Minnesota in mid-October in the teams' first meeting of the year.
Vikings report: Since dropping two straight games to the Lions and the Rams in October, Minnesota has rattled off nine straight wins, seven of which by 10 points or less, to keep pace with Detroit in the NFC North.
During the win streak, quarterback Sam Darnold has continued his strong play, throwing 18 touchdowns to just two interceptions in his last seven games. Recently, he's thrown three passing touchdowns in each of his past two games in wins over Seattle and Green Bay. Star wide receiver Justin Jefferson ranks second in the league with 1,479 receiving yards off his 100 receptions and 10 touchdowns, five of which have come in the past four games.
Defensively, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel is tied for first among all linebackers with 11.5 sacks. Fellow linebacker Jonathan Greenard sits right behind him with 11.0 sacks. Van Ginkel and Greenard have combined for 33 tackles for loss, fueling a Minnesota team that ranks second in rushing defense and fourth in points allowed per game (18.8).
Minnesota has lost five of the last six matchups to the Lions, and hasn't defeated Detroit at Ford Field since January 2021.
Last meeting: In Week 7, Detroit handed Minnesota their first loss of the season with a 31-29 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but two Jahmyr Gibbs runs and a Jared Goff pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown for touchdowns allowed Detroit to take a 21-10 halftime lead.
After trading touchdowns in the third quarter, Minnesota retook the lead off a fumble recovery for a touchdown, but on Detroit's final possession, Goff led the Lions down the field to set up a Jake Bates 44-yard game-winning field goal.
Playoff picture:
| Conference | No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | KC (15-1)*z | BUF (13-3)*y | BAL (11-5)*x | HOU (9-7)*y | PIT (10-6)*x | LAC (10-6)*x | DEN (9-7) |
| NFC | DET (14-2)*x | PHI (13-3)*y | LAR (10-6)*y | TB (9-7) | MIN (14-2)*x | WAS (11-5)*x | GB (11-5)*x |
In the hunt:
- AFC: 8. MIA (8-8), 9. CIN (8-8)
- NFC: 9. ATL (8-8)
*z: Clinched No. 1 seed, home-field advantage and first-round bye
*y: Clinched division
*x: Clinched a playoff spot
Quick hits:
1. Sunday's game is the first regular-season game in NFL history where both teams have 13-plus wins before kickoff.
2. Since 1975 when playoff seeding began, a No. 1 seed has reached the Super Bowl 55.1 percent of the time vs. 3.3 percent as the No. 5 seed.
3. Detroit's 20 conversions on fourth down rank third in the league while Minnesota's six conversions rank last.
Data dive:
Stats are based on Weeks 1-17 followed by the rank.
| Team | Total Offense | Total Defense | Rushing Offense | Passing Offense | Rushing Defense | Passing Defense | Takeaways |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 410.5 (2) | 347.4 (22) | 144.4 (6) | 266.1 (2) | 97 (3) | 250.4 (31) | 24 (T-8) |
| Vikings | 352.3 (12) | 331.8 (16) | 108.4 (19) | 243.8 (5) | 88.1 (2) | 243.6 (28) | 31 (T-1) |
Next on the schedule:
- Minnesota: WIN – First-round bye, LOSS/TIE – at TB, ATL or LAR
- Detroit: WIN/TIE – First-round bye, LOSS – at TB, ATL or LAR
Here are five Vikings storylines to follow into Sunday night's matchup:
1. Justin Jefferson on matchup with Lions: 'The whole world will be watching and I'm excited to be a part of it'
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson spoke with the media about the anticipation of playing the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football at Ford Field. WATCH
2. T.J. Hockenson on playing in Detroit: It's us against everybody ... it's going to be special
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson addressed reporters, sharing his perspective on playing on the road Week 18 against his former team. WATCH
3. Sam Darnold's evolution this season, winning tight games, keys to winning Sunday night vs. Lions | X's and O's with Kevin O'Connell
Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell sits down with Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen about quarterback Sam Darnold's growth and what it will take to defeat Detroit Sunday. WATCH
4. Harrison Smith on importance of Sunday's game in Detroit, what makes this team so special and more
Minnesota Vikings' on-air talent and associate producer Tatum Everett chats with veteran safety Harrison Smith for the Vikings Gameday Live interview ahead of Sunday's game vs. the Lions. WATCH
5. MVP: Ron Johnson previews the Week 18 battle vs. the Lions - Episode 302
Minnesota Vikings' on-air talent and associate producer Tatum Everett hosts Detroit native Ron Johnson on the MVP podcast, discussing the Sunday Night Football showdown this weekend. LISTEN
